Paul Weller, The Jam and Riot Stories

It is a known fact among people close to me and those who follow me on Twitter that I am a lifelong fan of The Jam/Paul Weller. I have enjoyed listening to many bands and artists over the years but in my opinion there are few songwriters who have the ability to speak to their listeners through their lyrics the way Paul Weller does. He is a poet and a songwriter in a class of his own. He was also the inspiration for me starting a fanzine back in 1983, although the seeds of the idea
started germinating quite a few years earlier.

Originally I planned to simply tell the story of how Paul came to be the driving force behind me starting Kindred Spirit, but things took on a life of their own when I had the good fortune to make a connection on Twitter with Steve Hinders, from the USA.

I was absolutely mesmerised by some of the photos and stories Steve shared on Twitter of his time spent touring with The Jam. It was however when he told me he’d had an article published in Paul Weller’s own December Child fanzine back in 1981 that the idea for this blog post really took shape.

What I decided to do was tell Steve’s story alongside of my own, incorporating some of the amazing rare information he has been kind enough to share with me. I don’t mind admitting that the more I’ve delved into researching and writing the post, the more emotionally attached I have become to it. I hope you will enjoy it too.

Steve’s story started in the summer of 1977 in Ohio when he was aged 20. He happened to read the article below about a new band from the UK called The Jam in an issue of Melody Maker. Something flicked a switch for him and he was keen to find out more.

An early feature about The Jam from Melody Maker, April 1977

He called in to a hip import record shop in Ohio called Mind Dust Music. After flicking through the “J” section he couldn’t believe it when he saw ‘In The City’ nestled there among the other albums.

Steve immediately purchased the disc and after listening to it he felt like he had, to use his words “met a band soul mate”. He was hooked.

I remember being vaguely aware and interested in the emerging punk scene in the summer of 1977, from the limited amount of information available to a 15 year old living in Hull at that time.

I distinctly remember seeing The Jam perform ‘In The City’ on TOTP. This, along with ‘Sheena Is A Punk Rocker’ and ‘Something Better Change’ were the first three punk singles I remember hearing. 

From the word go there was something about The Jam’s image and raw energy that attracted me to them like a magnet. I never fail to smile at the memory of my mother coming into the room whilst I was watching the band on the TV. She stood behind me and watched for a few minutes before saying “the singer looks very young”.

She was of course quite correct. Paul was only 18 years old when he wrote ‘In The City’.

A Melody Maker feature about The Jam dated June 1977

In August 1977 Steve travelled to London. He spent around three weeks roaming around, feeding off the buzz of punk. He saw Elvis Costello at the Nashville Rooms and Generation X at the Marquee and also met NME journalist Nick Kent whilst buying 45s in a Soho market.

In the February of 1978 Steve was thrilled to discover that as part of their second tour of the USA The Jam were to play at a club called Bogart’s in Cincinnati, Ohio. The gig was scheduled to take place on 6^th April. He immediately sent off for tickets for him and his girlfriend Sheri.

On the day of the gig he and Sheri arrived at the venue early. Hardly anyone was there. There was no sign of the band.

I will let Steve take up the story from here.

After 30 minutes I saw John Weller. He looked so cool. Silver hair swept back. Very dapper. We worked up the courage and introduced ourselves. John was so damn nice. He told us to wait around and Paul, Bruce and Rick would be there soon and he’d introduce us. 30 minutes went by and no sign of the guys. Sheri and I walked outside to get some air and that’s when we spotted Paul and his girlfriend Gill Price, on the sidewalk walking up to the club. I didn’t say hello, I didn’t say anything. Paul and Gill seemed so focused on each other that I didn’t want to bother them.

Back in the club, we saw John and he introduced us to Bruce and Rick. I told them how much I loved the Jam. They liked that I was so enthusiastic and were pleased that I dug their music.

Paul and Gill were still clinging to each other, but I worked up the courage to say hello. Paul immediately put me at ease. Sheri and I told him how much we loved the Jam. I know we talked a bit about the Beatles and The Who. I think we chatted for five minutes. Then he was off to do a sound check.

The show was utterly fantastic. There were probably only 50 people in attendance. On stage, Paul and Bruce would occasionally be back to back. They’d careen off each other like pinballs. I’d never seen a band move around so fast. The black suits, white shirts, black ties, black/white “Jam” shoes, the Rickenbacker guitars, Premier drums, the Vox amps covered in Union Jacks, the intense volume, the perspiration, EVERYTHING appealed to me on a viscerally thrilling level. 

The three photos below were taken at the gig Steve described above at Bogart's in Cincinnati.

Early 1979 was when I bought my first album by The Jam – All Mod Cons (with my first pay cheque). I’d read about the album in an issue of Smash Hits a month or so earlier and from the small amount I’d seen of The Jam on TOTP I was keen to hear and learn more about them.  

In the weeks/months that followed I would sit in my bedroom listening to every track again and again whilst absorbing and memorising the lyrics on the inner sleeve. Every track on this album is a gem in its own right, but I recall being particularly mesmerised by the chilling tale of fear and mindless violence Paul tells so powerfully in ‘Down In The Tube Station At Midnight’.

In the months that followed I caught up on what I’d missed by buying the band’s first two albums. I loved the raw energy of 'In The City'. I still love the raw energy of 'In The City'! I didn't gel quite so quickly with 'This Is The Modern World' but there were certain stand out tracks where I felt the seeds were being sown for what came later on 'All Mod Cons'. 'I Need You (For Someone)' and 'Here Comes The Weekend' are the tracks that immediately spring to mind. Before any fellow Jam fans start to complain, I should add here that as the years have passed I have grown to love 'This Is The Modern World'. It, like every album by The Jam has a personality all of its own.

I went on to buy each and every music paper I set eyes on the second I saw the words “The Jam” on the front cover. I scoured the classified ads in the NME for information, and it was there I came across an advert for the In The City songbook. I immediately sent off for a copy.

The Jam In The City Songbook cover

At the end of the booklet there were six poems written by a friend of Paul’s (and an early member of The Jam) called Dave Waller. In his introduction to the poetry Paul outlined his vision of what the New Wave movement would evolve into. He also mentioned there was a chance a book of Dave’s poetry may follow.

Pictured below is one of the aforementioned poems by Dave Waller, a section of which forms a part of the lyrics of a track on 'This Is The Modern World' called ‘In The Street Today’. 

Steve purchased All Mod Cons as an import in the December of 1978. He too played the album to death for months on end.

In April 1979 he was overjoyed to hear The Jam were scheduled to play a gig at the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio. He immediately bought tickets for himself and his sister, who had to buy a fake ID card as she was only 16 at the time.

It turned out to be an incredible show.

Here are some photos.

Whilst Paul Weller was having a drink at the bar afterwards he waved Steve over. They chatted for a while as they had done the previous year then Paul invited Steve and his sister backstage. There they met Bruce, Rick, John Weller and Kenny Wheeler.

Before leaving Steve asked Paul if he’d like to correspond via mail. Paul’s girlfriend Gill wrote The Jam’s office address on a drinks napkin. 

Shortly afterwards Steve wrote to Paul and he received a letter back which is pictured below.

In 1979 I remember reading about how Paul had started his own publishing company – Riot Stories, with a view to providing a platform for young creative people to share their writing.

The first book published by Riot Stories was a collection of poetry by Dave Waller called ‘Notes From Hostile Street’. Remembering all I'd read earlier in the In The City songbook, I sent off for a copy as soon as I heard about it.

I remember when the book first arrived, reading through Dave’s poetry again and again. His words painted pictures of a different nature to any other poetry I’d seen. This combined with my love and admiration of Paul’s poetic lyrics was what lit the creative fuse inside me. For the first time in my life I started to write my own poetry, some of which later featured in the pages of Kindred Spirit.

I wrote the poem below shortly after reading Notes From Hostile Street. I was heavily influenced by Dave's style. The poem went on to feature in issue one of Kindred Spirit.

Whilst tidying one of my cupboards I came across another short poem I typed on my portable typewriter for inclusion in my fanzine. It was one I chose not to include. Once I'd blown the dust off the surprisingly uncrumpled scrap of paper the memories came flooding back. 

There were two particular poems in 'Notes From Hostile Street' that made a deep impression on me. One was 'The Prostitute's House' and the other was 'From This Third Storey Vantage Point...' 

Where the latter mentioned poem was concerned I was very drawn by the way Dave managed to create images of beauty in the mind of the reader, but he interspersed them with images of desolate, bleak landscapes. Somehow the two sat side by side on the page. 

I went on to write several poems, where I attempted to do the same. The poem below is named 'The Walk Home'. This is the first time in almost 40 years that I have shared it. 

Sadly Dave Waller died from a heroin overdose in 1982, but his creative work will live for ever. The Style Council song ‘A Man Of Great Promise’ was Paul Weller’s tribute to him.

In September 1979 Steve travelled to the UK again.

I’ll hand over to him to tell the next part of his incredible story…

This time around I wanted to travel by train down to Woking to see where Paul, Bruce and Rick had grown up or spent time. I recall arriving at the Woking train station on a grey day. It was leafy suburbia in my mind.

My initial walkabout was strolling down the boulevard drive where Paul had spent his teenage years. I walked by his address and took it all in. I walked further around the area, made my way into a pub and had a couple of pints. Later on I decided to pass by Paul’s home. I was a bit lazy from the drink so I ended up sitting against a tree in the middle of the boulevard across the street from the Weller residence. I had my map of Woking and was plotting my journey to Bruce and Rick’s homes. I ended up dozing off. In fact I fell sound asleep. I recall someone shaking my shoulder and asking me my name. I looked up and there was an elderly woman standing over me. She could tell I was a Jam fan because I was wearing my classic black and white Jam shoes. She told me that she was Paul’s Nan, Mrs. Milton. She mentioned that the woman across the street was her daughter Ann, Paul’s mum. “We’ve just been shopping. Would you like to come in for sandwiches?” I was stunned to say the least. This turn of events was completely unexpected. I couldn’t believe what was happening. What I thought was really fantastic was that Paul’s 80 year old Nan was wearing an “All Mod Cons” badge on her sweater.

We sat out in the back garden and ate ham sandwiche and had tea. Nicky Weller came home and I was introduced to her and her friend, Steve “Tufty” Carver. Steve was mates with Paul. Steve’s brother Pete stopped by later on. Both very nice chaps. Huge Jam fans as well. Nicky was nice as can be. At one point she asked, with good humour, “You came all the way from the States just to see my brother’s home?!” She couldn’t believe it. To Nicky, naturally, Paul was simply her older brother. To me, and thousands of other young people, he was a kindred spirit, a passionate songwriter, a damn fine guitarist/vocalist, a mod with a genuine coating of “punk”, and vice-versa. Punk didn’t go in for heroes, but damn, he was mine. I think thousands of others would say the same thing.

John Weller arrived from his work day in London, surprised that I was there, but happy to see me. One of the coolest things I remember is John, who’d been up at Polydor Records in London that day, stated that he had a band’s acetate he wanted to play on the home stereo. We all sat around while John proceeded to play a song that truly knocked me out. It was “Turning Japanese” by the Vapors. Everyone was knocked out by that song. It ended up being a massive hit in the States. I think he and Bruce Foxton were doing some managerial work for the Vapors.

I mentioned to everyone that I was staying at a small hotel in London and that I should catch the train back before it got too late. Ann and John wouldn’t hear of it. They said the couch was very comfortable and I should stay the night. Well, I couldn’t believe their generosity. I accepted their invitation.

 

The thing that has stuck with me the most over the past 41 years is how kind and generous the Weller family was to me. And I know for certain they treated other fans who stopped by their home the same way.

 

Later in the evening John suggested that we go out to his car and listen to a tape. It’s hard for me to even believe that this happened, but John placed a tape in the cassette deck. For the next 20 minutes I listened to Paul playing electric guitar and singing songs he’d written when he was about 14 years old. There was a very early Beatles/Gerry and the Pacemakers flavour to the numbers. They were energetic, innocent sounding songs, full of lovely, melodic chord changes.

 

After we went back inside, John rang Paul in London, and said that I had spent the day at their home and was spending the evening in Woking. After he got off the phone with Paul, John said, “The Jam’s recording tomorrow at Townhouse Studios in Shepherd’s Bush. Paul’s invited you to come up around 11:00. Can you make it up there by then?” After regaining my composure I told John that I’d be there by 11:00.

I arrived at Townhouse Studios on Goldhawk Road late morning. I went into the studio’s reception area and asked for Paul. A short while later he came out and greeted me. He took me into the studio where the Jam were in the process of recording their great album, “Setting Sons”. Paul introduced me to their producer Vic Coppersmith-Heaven. Bruce and Rick were there and said they were pleased I could visit.

I had the privilege of hearing the Jam record “Burning Sky”. They did a number of takes. They’d all pop back into the control room to hear the playbacks. I remained quiet, a fly on the wall, an observer. I know there were visceral thrills running through my veins. It was one of the happiest days of my life. During breaks, I was invited to go into the studio and take pictures if I wanted. I jumped at the chance. I chatted with several other Jam fans. Tony Fletcher, the fellow who’d created the “Jamming” fanzine arrived.

As the recording day started to wind down, I said so long to Bruce and Rick, thanking them and letting them know I hoped to see them in the States in 1980. I chatted with Paul for a little while, letting him know how much I appreciated the invitation to the studio.

The photos below were taken at the Townhouse studios the day Steve was privileged to witness part of the legendary Setting Sons album being recorded. The studios closed their doors in 2008 and have since been turned into flats, but some musical magic was certainly created within those walls.

Paul and Rick listening to a playback

Vic Coppersmith-Heaven at the controls

Paul's guitars

A snap Steve took of Paul outside the studios

When Setting Sons was released in November 1979 I immediately bought a copy. It wasn’t long before it was wearing a hole in my turntable in exactly the same fashion as All Mod Cons had several months earlier. To this day I still love everything about this album.

There is one track however that made more of an impression on me than any of the others. It is Saturday’s Kids. I was completely in awe of Paul’s gift as a social commentator. I felt like I knew the characters he was describing in the lines of the song. They were all around me. They drank in the same pubs and nightclubs. They were so real they had names and faces. This shone yet another new light on things for me and inspired me to write some more poetry and prose of my own.

The piece below featured in issue 2 of Kindred Spirit and was inspired by Saturday's Kids. I'm not sure I quite hit the nail on the head the way Paul did but you can probably see some influences tucked away in there somewhere!

The next time Steve saw The Jam was when they played at the Motor City Roller Rink near Detroit in March 1980. Like me, he had played Setting Sons to death by this point and he couldn’t wait to hear tracks such as Thick as Thieves and The Eton Rifles come alive in the small venue they were playing.

The show didn’t disappoint.

Afterwards Steve and a group of other fans went backstage. Writer Richard Grabel and photographer Joe Stevens were there doing a piece on The Jam for the NME. 

Here are some clips from the aforementioned piece in the NME. 

A DJ from Detroit Free Radio asked for an interview too and Paul and Bruce obliged. Steve couldn’t believe it when Paul invited him to sit in on the interview. He was asked his thoughts on Setting Sons. His response was that he thought “there was an underlying lyrical theme. It had to do with staying true to one’s self, to one’s own truth, maintaining ideals, rising above the fray and being an individual.”

Had somebody asked me the same question at that time I would have answered in an identical fashion. It was those very values that shaped me as a person and that I still hold dear to this day.

The three amazing photos below were taken by a friend of Steve's - Louise Smith - at the Detroit gig. I think they really capture the excitement and energy of a gig by The Jam.

Before Steve left the Motor City Roller Rink Paul asked if he and his girlfriend would be coming to the show the next night in Chicago. He said if he was able to make it there would be tickets waiting at the door. Steve did not need asking twice! He took the 200 mile bus trip to Chicago the next day.

Here is his account of what happened.

The show was excellent. White lights beamed down onto the dark stage as the band tore into “Saturday Kids”. Absolutely thrilling. The Chicago audience loved it. 

I chatted with the band afterwards and ended up having drinks with them and other fans on the top floor of the John Hancock building, one of the city’s finest buildings. Paul’s girlfriend Gill Price was there and we chatted for a while. I corresponded with Gill every so often and she would send me a postcard with band updates. John invited me to the band’s hotel the next day. “We rented a large car, so there’s room if you’d like to come with us to the venue.” I accepted John’s generous offer.

I recall sitting in the car on the way to the soundcheck, at “Old Chicago”, an indoor amusement park. Kenny Wheeler was driving. The roads were slippery from the snow and the band started giving Kenny comical grief for his driving skills or LACK of driving skills.

Even though there were only several hundred fans, I thought the show that night was damn good. The sound wasn’t especially good but the band’s intensity was palpable. Everyone was friendly but quiet on the drive back to the hotel. I thanked them for their generosity, letting the guys and Gill know how much the past couple of days had meant to me.

Paul Weller live on stage at the Chicago gig.

A month after I returned home from the show in Chicago I wrote Paul and Gill a letter letting them know that I was thinking about possibly flying over to the UK for the band’s next tour. In June, I received a letter from Paul saying that he hoped I could make it over for some Jam dates in October. The band was going to start recording Sound Affects in August/September and would tour shortly after. I was 23 and thought it was something I had to do. The punk explosion had affected me deeply. There were great bands all over the world, but for me, the Jam were at the top of the list. Jam fans know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s almost like my life was an emotional collaboration with a great band whose lyricist spoke to my passion for life and all its possibilities.

Paul’s mum Ann found out that I was interested in seeing the Jam in the UK. I received a short letter from Ann and Paul’s Nan, Mrs. Milton. They’d chatted at some length and wanted to let me know that I was welcome to stay at “Nan’s” home in Guildford, as a home base during the tour. When I read this, I could hardly believe it. I wrote them back immediately and accepted their offer.

I recall reading about another Riot Stories publication called “Mixed Up Shook Up”. It was a collection of young people’s poetry. The book had a small print run making it something of a collector’s item now.

There is one poem in particular in the book that is of significance. It was written by Paul Drew and is called ‘Entertainment’. Paul Weller was a fan of Paul Drew’s poetry, but this particular piece provided inspiration when it came to writing a song considered by many to be his finest hour lyrically. I am of course referring to ‘That’s Entertainment’. 

Here are two more pages taken from 'Mixed Up Shook Up'

In August 1980 Steve received a letter from Gill giving him the Sound Affects tour dates, starting on October 26^th in Sheffield. Steve booked a flight to London arriving on 23^rd October.

The following day he arrived at the home of Paul’s Nan. He was given a warm welcome and was also intrigued to find out her favourite song by The Jam was ‘All Around The World.’

Here is Steve’s account of the Sound Affects tour.

On the morning of the 26^th I headed to Sheffield for the first gig of the tour. For the next three weeks I travelled to Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, Cardiff, Birmingham, Brighton, Manchester and quite a few other cities.

There were a small group of Jam fans also following the tour so we started travelling together. We’d see Kenny Wheeler and most times he would let us into the Jam’s soundcheck.

Paul’s school friend Roger Pilling was there and he was part of the travelling contingent. He was a riot to hang out with. Very kind, witty and generous. I got to know Joe and Frank Malone, two great chaps from Shepherd’s Bush. There was Anne from Inverness and Chris from Cleveland. There was a fellow from Blackburn whose name I never got to know and Paul Bradley, a mod from London.

One night after a show in Leeds, six of us were walking past the train station. I don’t recall who did it but someone threw a bottle through a train window. Five minutes later three police cars roared up. We were taken to Leeds police station and placed in individual cells for the night.

I wasn’t able to attend the two shows at the Rainbow Theatre as I was ill with the worst flu I’ve ever had in my life. Luckily I recovered well enough to get to the Hammersmith Odeon to see the final two Jam shows of the tour.

The night after the last Jam show, Roger Pilling and I met Paul and Gill at a London theater/club called “The Venue” on Victoria St.  We all chatted for a while, drinking pint after pint. Later on we walked, perhaps stumbled, out into the street. I thanked Paul and Gill for their generosity and for being so receptive to my passionate desire to follow the Sound Affects tour. Paul hailed a couple of taxis. Prior to heading off into the evening, there were hands shaken and hugs all around. I climbed into the taxi and headed off to my hotel near Victoria Station. I was heading back to the States the next day. As I peered out at the London streets I recall feeling a sense of melancholy and euphoria. I’d never experienced anything so thrilling in my life.

40 years on, the thrill of that tour still reverberates. I still listen to the Jam. Their songs sound better than ever. Thank you Paul, Bruce and Rick. Cheers to now. Cheers to the future.

I would like to dedicate my part of the story to my brother Brett. He’s a terrific brother and a fine songwriter and musician. I played the Jam incessantly for him. He was 13 years old when he first heard “In the City”. He’s a lifelong Jam fan. At 57 years old, Brett’s main musical influence is still Paul Weller

Late in 1980 I remember reading something about how Paul had started his own fanzine called December Child. I can’t remember where I read the article now but what I do remember is the focus of the fanzines was very much in line with all Riot Stories publications, ie giving a platform to new poets and writers. This was something that really made an impression on me.

There were three issues published between 1980 and 1981, all of which were available by mail order only. As with all Riot Stories publications, they have become something of a rarity today. Paul contributed his own poetry too. We all knew him as a songwriter of course, but to see his words in the form of a poetry fanzine made me see his creative work from a completely different angle.

I was really delighted to make a connection on Twitter with Shaun Hand, who has kindly provided me with the following pages from the incredibly hard to find issue 1 of December Child. 

Pictured below is a feature written by Paul Honeyford, author of 'The Modern World By Numbers'.

Here is some of Paul Weller's own poetry that featured in this issue:

For information, Shaun Hand wrote a book based around The Jam's songs entitled 'Pop Art Poems'. His debut poetry collection - 'The New Brutalism' - is available to buy now and a novel is due to be published early next year.

For more information check out Shaun's Twitter and Facebook pages.

The front cover of December Child issue 2 featuring Pete Townsend

The three pages below showing work by Paul Weller are taken from December Child issue two:

The front cover of December Child issue three

The feature below entitled “Shoot To Kill” appeared in December Child issue three and was written by Steve. The feature came about because he was deeply affected by the senseless death of John Lennon in 1980. A cheap handgun was used in Lennon’s killing. He started comparing gun deaths from around the world. There were thousands of killings by handguns in the U.S. in 1980. There were very few in the UK. Paul asked Steve if he would like to write something for his fanzine. Doing this was a way of Steve expressing his anger and concern and letting people know about the everyday gun tragedies that were occurring on a daily basis in the United States.

In October 1981 Steve received the letter below from Paul and Gill thanking him for his contribution to December Child. They enclosed an advance copy of The Jam's single - Absolute Beginners - which is referred to in the letter also.

Other Riot Stories publications included ‘Swing and Go’ featuring poetry by Aidan Cant and ‘Spongers’. The aim of the latter mentioned was to provide a snap shot of Thatcher’s Britain as seen through the eyes of young unemployed people. It was compiled by Dave Potter.

However, the final game changer for me was another Riot Stories publication dated 1982 called 'The Individual Spoke'. This magazine was a collection of writing from new and up and coming writers of the time. Interestingly enough, one of the poets featured was the late Seething Wells, who I later reviewed in an issue of Kindred Spirit.  

If my memory serves me correctly I purchased the magazine at one of The Jam gigs I was lucky enough to experience in 1982.

Here are several pages from 'The Individual Spoke', one of which shows the list of writers who appeared in the magazine. Paul Weller once again contributed several pieces.

You can see how influenced I was by this publication when comparing the front cover of Kindred Spirit issue one with the Riot Stories illustration above.

After The Jam split at the end of 1982 I (and thousands of others) felt a deep sense of loss. There were many bands from that period I enjoyed listening to, but The Jam really spoke to me. I thought about all that Paul had achieved and because he was of my own generation  I wanted to do something to make a difference in my own small way too. 

In the spring of 1983 I decided to start the ball rolling by placing an advert in the NME classifieds asking for people to send poetry to me for possible inclusion in a new poetry magazine. Throughout all four issues of Kindred Spirit, the poetry aspect remained a highly important one.

37 years after the idea of starting a poetry fanzine started germinating I moved things into the 21st century by starting my own poetry blog - Jill Webb Words.  Had it not been for Paul Weller I doubt I would have started to write my own poetry and the rest would never have followed. 

Steve now plays with his own band – New Guinea Pigs On The Block. They are influenced and fuelled by the passion and energy created by the Jam, the Clash, the Who, the Pretty Things, MC5, the Stooges and dozens of other great bands.

Here is a link to their bandcamp page. 

It makes me wonder just how many lives Paul Weller and The Jam have touched over the years, from all corners of the globe.

I hope you have enjoyed this post. A massive thank you to Steve Hinders for supplying me with the incredible memorabilia and very personal snippets of information he has. 

I would also like to thank Pete for sharing the amazing sketch he drew of Paul Weller, included at the start of the post.

It was always a regret of mine that my fanzine came along too late in the day to include any current features on The Jam, but sharing my and Steve’s stories here now 37+ years later has more than made up for it. 

Kindred Spirit Fanzine    Jill Webb Words

As a result of Steve and I sharing our stories here on my blog we were contacted by Dan Jennings, the host of the excellent 'Desperately Seeking Paul' - Paul Weller fan podcast. We were delighted when Dan invited us to take part in an interview based around this blog post. 

The interview was carried out via Zoom and for me, the highlight was actually getting to see Steve and speak to him for the first time. It seemed surreal that I was sitting in my armchair in the UK chatting away to someone who was thousands of miles away in the US, who I had never actually met, but with who I already have a great connection. As you can imagine the conversation well and truly took on a life of its own and we could have chatted for hours.  

You can hear the podcast, expertly edited down to one hour of conversation by Dan here. And whilst you're there, why not take a little time to explore some of the other podcasts Dan has recorded. If you're a fan of  Paul Weller/The Jam/The Style Council you will love it!  

I still keep on having to pinch myself when I think back to the very first time I listened to All Mod Cons on my little old record player in my bedroom aged 17 and think where the journey has taken me.  

Once again, a massive thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and now listen to what Steve and I have shared.

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